Render what is Joss and the biggigs that created BrVS what is theirs, and please leave me to my insanity. I thank you.
Author's Note: After BBB and before Season 3.
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Part Six
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At four in the afternoon, Giles gathered Oz, Cordelia and Xander in the library and spoke to them brusquely.“Buffy is tailing Delcaza. Oz, we have to chain you up.”
Oz started to protest, but Giles savagely cut him off.“You are integral to this ritual for some reason. For Willow to survive this night, you *must* be chained. And I have every reason to believe that she expects that you will go to her tonight. Xander and Cordelia, I’ll need your help in locating where this ritual will take place.”
“There’s a good news and bad news side to that tone of your voice, Giles. Give,”Xander said quietly. Cordelia nodded.
“Her house is equidistant to all three areas that Buffy scouted last night,”Giles said. When the two gave him a confused look, he sighed.”What that means is that her house is in the middle of all three potential ritual sites. She could go to any of those sites and if we choose the wrong one...”
“Then it’s the old age home for Willow,”Xander finished.”How do we contact Buffy?”
“Easy. Give her my cel,”Cordelia said, then she looked at the faces that stared at her.“Hey! I owe her for saving my rep! Besides, I’ll charge her for the call.”
Giles sighed.”I’ll give it to her. Let’s move, there isn’t much time. We’ve got to find Buffy and give her the phone. From the diary, the ritual was performed in the second hour of the light of the full moon. And that she needs Oz awake for the ritual, so that he can do whatever the ritual calls for. Damn it! I wish I knew where this ritual was!”
* * *
Buffy shook her head as she rose from the ground. She looked around and saw nothing. Total darkness. ”Where am I?”
* * *
Willow watched with round eyes as Circe came at her with a pair of scissors.”I need a lock of your hair, dear.”
“Don’t you have enough?”Willow asked sarcastically. Circe was now some sort of werewolf, except that her head was still human. Willow flinched away as the scissors sniped.
Circe smiled coldly as she held up the lock of hair.”This will bring your werewolf to me, Willow. Indeed it will. He’ll have no choice but to come to me now. He’ll smell your scent in the air, and we’ll meet him.”
Then she looked at Willow again.”Nighty-night, Willow.”
The last thing that Willow saw was a clawed fist coming at her.
* * *
As the moon started to shine in the night, Oz sat in his basement, chained to the wall. Sitting. Waiting for his body to change. Willow would be safe, so long as he stayed away from the ritual. He had to stay away from the ritual. He *had* to remember that, even as his heart echoed for her.
Then he felt a ripping pain run through his gut.
* * *
“Blast it!”Giles cursed as he looked around the school campus.”Where is Buffy?”
“No one’s seen her,”Xander said as he came running up.”I asked around. And Delcaza’s missing, too. Cordy said that there’s no lights or car around her house either.”
“Then we must assume that Delcaza is at the ritual site, and that she has somehow gotten rid of Buffy,”Giles said worriedly.”But where is Buffy? And Willow?”
* * *
When Willow woke, she smelled the crisp night air. Then she felt the cold ground against her back. When she tried to move, she found that she was chained to the ground. When she looked about her, she saw that she was in a large silver white chalked circle that was overlapped by two other circles, a blood red and pale blue.”What?”
“Welcome back Willow. Glad that you can make it,”Circe said casually. Willow looked at her. She was stirring a pot in the connected blood red circle. Willow could see the steam rise from the pot, and a breeze carry it away.”Can you smell it? Your wolf will come to you now...”
* * *
Oz lifted up his snout as he smelled the air. There was something other than the smell of rusting metal, gas and people. It was calling to him. It was his mate.
Oz started struggling against the chains around his legs and wrists. The concrete started to give way.
* * *
Reaching out, she stumbled over something, and then she felt the handle of a door. Then she broke off the handle, and kicked the door open. A small amount of light from a nearby window showed that she was in a closet. At school. She ran outside, and headed towards Oz’s house. Praying that she wasn’t too late.
She knew she was when she saw from the distance a large looming wolf figure go crashing through Oz’s front door. And then start to lope off towards Waverly Park.
* * *
Giles and Xander met up with Cordelia and climbed into her car.“No activity?”
“None at all. Buffy?”
“No sight of her. Delcaza must have incapacitated her, damn it,”Giles said. Xander and Cordelia simply waited for orders from the older man. They all jumped when her cel rang.
“Hello? Buffy? Where-Oz is free?!? Give me your heading! Right! See you there, and for God’s sake, be careful! I have no desire to feed you Kibbles and Bits when this is all over!” Giles ordered, then snapped the phone shut.”Go to Waverly Park, and head towards the Stewart Avenue and Whedon Street intersection. The ritual will take place there. Oz is free. Hurry, Cordelia!”
Cordelia stepped on the gas.
* * *
“Oz!Oz! Run!” Willow screamed as she saw Oz’s werewolf figure head towards her. Then stopped to look at Circe. When the sorceress pointed, Oz simply loped to the pale blue circle, and sat. Horrified, she stared at Circe.
Circe smiled at Willow then at the moon.”See, he simply obeys me. He has no choice. The potion forces him to obey. Soon it will be time for the ritual to begin, and I will be as I was before. Young. Powerful. Free. And quite ferocious. Like a wolf.”
“I will have my powers soon,”Circe said as she picked up her athame and pointed it towards Oz and then Willow.”And I have both of you to thank for it.”
“What’s-what’s going to happen?”Willow stammered as she tried to draw out the plans of this crazed witch.”You can’t kill me and you can’t kill Oz. People will know.”
Circe simply shrugged.”Oz will kill you with his claws, then dip his hands into my potion. And alas, the potion will kill him. The police will find you both, and I will go on my merry way. End of story.”
“How about a new ending?”a voice called out.”Like one that’ll end with a woodsman killing you? Or that you’ll go into a cage for a very long time.”
Circe spun around and snarled.”Slayer!”
* * *
“Thing!”Buffy shouted back as she eyed her opponent.”Ewww! What are you?”
“I am your better!”Delcaza hollered as her hand lifted and a bolt of lightning flew out of her fingers. Buffy did a back handspring to avoid the bolt. Dirt and rocks flew everywhere. She barely had enough time when another one nearly hit her.”Stay still, you little bitch!”
“Not in this life time!”Buffy hollered back. As she crouched down, ready to spring up again, Buffy sneered at Delcaza.”What’s with the fur coat? It’s not that hot out here! Haven’t you heard of saving the animals?”
Another lightning bolt flew at Buffy as she spring up to avoid it.
* * *
Giles crept around to the other side of the clearing with Xander and Cordelia in tow. He pointed at Oz as he handed the tranquilizer gun to Xander.”Quick, while Buffy’s distracting her! Hit Oz with this, but be careful, there are only two shots in here. If he’s unconscious, he cannot kill Willow at Delcaza’s bidding. I’m going to see if I can free Willow from her chains.”
“What do I do?”Cordelia whispered loudly. Giles looked at her and blinked.
“You could try being a distraction to her as we try to get Oz and Willow free,”Giles suggested.”Now, we must move!”
* * *
Willow started pulling her chains in an effort to be free. All the while she was screaming at Buffy.”Buffy! The source of her power is the cauldron! She has her hand in the cauldron! Get away from her! But don’t touch it! It’s the same as she changed Magda to a wolf! She could kill you!”
Delcaza turned around and looked at Willow. Willow felt a tightening at her throat.”Shut up you little bitch! I’ll deal with you later!”
Delcaza then turned to look at Buffy and threw another lightning bolt at the Slayer as Willow fell to the ground, gasping for air. Giles crept towards Willow as Delcaza was distracted. But suddenly, Delcaza turned and looked at the Watcher.”FOOL! Think you can creep up from behind me? The wind carries your scent!”
Giles started to choke as Delcaza focused her rage on him.”I am Circe! A Mistress of the Hunt! Servant to the Three Witches! I will gain my power and my form! You are nothing!”
With a savage toss of her head, she tossed Giles into the air. And the focused her attention on Buffy.”And as for you, Slayer...”
* * *
Xander cursed as he couldn’t get a clear shot at Oz. And he saw his friends being attacked, he looked through the tranquilizer’s scope.”Damn! She keeps moving and attacking!”
“Xander! We have to do something!”Cordelia wailed as she watched the scene before her.”Can we shoot Willow? Will that stop the spell?”
“No! She needs Oz conscious, but it doesn’t matter if Will is or isn’t,”Xander said as he moved to get a better shot at Oz. Then an idea hit him...
* * *
Giles coughed as he rose from the ground. His bleary mind quickly assessed the situation, Buffy was doing handsprings to avoid Delcaza’s lightning bolts, Willow was pulling at her chains, Oz was barking ferociously, yet not moving from his circle. He had to do something but what?
* * *
Willow frantically pulled at her chains to get free. Her mind raced as she pulled at her chains. She frantically looked at Oz as he barked at Delcaza, then she looked at the cauldron. The potion was the key. Without the potion, no spell, if there was no spell, then no change. But what to do? Willow looked around, then started picking up the pebbles and stones in her small circle and started throwing it into the bubbling cauldron.
* * *
“ENOUGH!”screamed Delcaza as she missed the Slayer yet again.”It is time for the spell!”
“Not now it isn’t!” Giles shouted as he threw a rock at her. Delcaza instinctively ducked. Giles threw another, then another. His pockets were filled with stones as he threw them all fast and furiously at her.”Not here! Not now! Not ever! Leave these two alone!”
“No! I will have my power!” Delcaza screamed. Then she howled as a large stone hit her on the head. She looked up furious, and through blooded eyes she saw the Slayer standing and hefting another rock at her.
“You will stop and go bay at some other moon!” Buffy shouted. She threw another rock at Delcaza.”Or I’ll put you in the zoo myself!”
Delcaza snarled at Buffy.“Die! Slay-”
Willow, Buffy and Giles stared as Delcaza faltered. Her eyes widened as she pulled something from her back. It was a dart. Her eyes looked up and saw a grinning boy, musket in hand as he waved at her. She howled furiously.
“Night-night, Miz Delcaza! Bed time for you!”Xander grinned as he took aim at Oz.”Beddy time Oz! Howl your good-night to Willow!”
Oz howled at Xander, then fell as the tranquilizer dart hit him in the shoulder. Delcaza looked at the bubbling cauldron, then at the damned Slayer and her Watcher.”I will not be denied! I will gain my form! I will be a wolf! And you will be dead, Slayer!”
“Buffy! Look out!”Willow shouted as Delcaza hefted the cauldron to throw it at the Slayer. Willow jumped back when one of Delcaza’s arms gave way, and the bubbling potion spilled all over Delcaza.
Delcaza stared at the potion the covered her, then screamed at Willow.”WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU LITTLE BITCH?!?”
Willow stepped away from Delcaza as far as her chains could permit her to.”I-I-I-”
Delcaza screamed as the potion started to smoke, she fell to the ground on her knees as she howled at the moon’s light. Then there was silence.
Buffy stared, and stepped cautiously towards what was...is Delcaza, then looked at Giles.”What just happened?”
“She’s a rock?”Cordelia exclaimed, stunned.”She wanted to be a rock?”
“No...she wanted to be a wolf,”Xander said as he studied Delcaza’s new stone form. It was hideous. The stone was warped into some sort a face of horror.”But she changed into a rock. But, why?”
“I-I threw stones and dirt into the potion,”Willow stammered as Buffy pulled the chains from the ground.”It changed the whole spell. Is it all over?”
Buffy nodded gruffly as she hugged her friend.”It’s as over as it’s going to get. May Magda, Fife, Rogan and Zinnia rest in peace now.”
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